Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Running with the Blind - Pacing at Rocky Raccoon 100

For this year's Rocky Raccoon 100, my plan was to pace two friends for 20 miles each. Due to different circumstances, both of them ended up having bad days and not finishing.

I ended up meeting and pacing a new friend, Ted. Ted came down from Chicago without a crew or a pacer and this was his first 100 mile attempt. Around mile 65, he started to go blind. I’ve heard of this happening before in 100’s, but I had never witnessed it first hand.

Ted followed one of my buddies, Drew and his pacer Doug for 15 miles before coming upon me at mile 80. I spot Drew and ask him if he needs help. His response - "I'm fine, Mike -- but meet Ted."

Ted was sitting on the ground futily grabbing at things in his drop bag trying to feel around for some gels. Ted looks in my general direction and says, "Hello Mike. I can't see. I've fallen about 25 times so far. I can't really run because I'm afraid of falling down, but I can walk pretty fast."

I will be brutally honest here - I was not so sure I wanted to pace Ted. The idea of walking 20 miles in cold, damp temperatures (I did not have on the right gear), with a blind runner wasn't too appealing to me at 11pm at night. I asked Doug and Drew if Ted was OK to go back out there (you know, being blind and all). They both assured me he was OK as long as I stayed close in front of him. He could make out the reflections on my shoes to follow me. I made my decision right then to help Ted. It was going to be quite an adventure!

Ted pushed himself to his feet, and we started up the trail. After a mile or so of brisk hiking, Ted started to loosen up. He said he could probably run a bit when the trail wasn't too dangerous. Rocky Raccoon is known for its roots which reach up and grab you. So we started to mix in some running. I was pretty cautious at first - especially since Ted kept hitting roots and falling. But he'd get back up, brush himself off, and start running again. The guy was a machine. I could not believe how well he was doing. It turns out Ted is quite a fast runner. He is a guy that I normally could not pace unless he was having vision problems. We hit some sections of jeep road that had no roots at all and we picked up the pace. I was literally running as fast as I can and Ted had no issues keeping up with me. Did I mention that Ted is a near elite runner?!

Ted and I got to know each other more during the run. Since he lives in Chicago, he trained on a treadmill for most of his long runs. I told me he ran 52 miles on a treadmill for his long run getting ready for this race. Running on a treadmill for 52 miles takes extreme mental toughness. His longest official race before this 100 was a 50K – that’s it!

Ted and I stumbled through the last 20 miles of his 100 mile race. He fell too many times to count, but never lost his positive attitude. The guy was amazing. I was elated to help him finish his first 100 mile race.

This was the first time I’ve paced anyone for a hundred miler. It was an incredibly rewarding experience. Especially since it was Ted’s first. You run with someone through the darkness, through the struggles, and you feel so happy when they finish. I may have even been happier that night than for my first 100 mile finish. Congrats to you, Ted! You are amazing.